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Can anyone help me understand this passage?

 
 
Reply Thu 10 May, 2018 04:56 am
The passage is as follows:

"You may outrage me as you will; you may take all that I personally possess, but do not you care to say one single thing in view of the situation that that will set up--against the faith that makes me become the doormat for your feet"

Context: this is a woman trying to warn another who shows contempt towards her religious belief. And I'm having a hard time understanding what she means especially the part after "but".

The main obstacle is that I'm kind of confused by the sentence structure here. (English is not my native tongue) So could you guys shed some light on this? Please, if you could, just lay it out for me in plain English. Much thanks!
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izzythepush
 
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Reply Thu 10 May, 2018 05:35 am
@Yang1130,
You're right, it's not very easy. I had to read it a couple of times before I could make sense of it.

This is just my interpretation mind you.

Jesus was known for turning the other cheek, and I think this is what the passage is about. The religious woman in question follows Jesus in that regard, she turns the other cheek and allows the other party to insult her without responding in kind. That's pretty much what the first half of the sentence says. The second half is about her faith, she says not to insult her faith because it's her faith which is stopping her from fighting back, which allows the other party to treat her like a doormat.
Yang1130
 
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Reply Fri 11 May, 2018 01:41 am
@izzythepush,
That makes perfect sense. Thank you so much!
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Yang1130
 
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Reply Fri 11 May, 2018 01:49 am
@izzythepush,
And, while you're at it, because I'm trying to translate this novel so I need to understand the whole sentence word-to-word, could you tell me what you think the second "that" after "situation" means? The first, of course, serves as the antecedent in the attritutive clause, so the second has to mean something actual.

Sorry for the trouble and thank you again!
izzythepush
 
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Reply Fri 11 May, 2018 03:21 am
@Yang1130,
You can substitute it for the second that without changing the meaning.

do not you care to say one single thing in view of the situation that it will set up--against the faith that makes me become the doormat for your feet
Yang1130
 
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Reply Fri 11 May, 2018 08:24 pm
@izzythepush,
Thanks! And "it" refers to "the other woman making comments on her belief", right?
izzythepush
 
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Reply Sat 12 May, 2018 01:27 am
@Yang1130,
Yes it does.
Yang1130
 
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Reply Sat 12 May, 2018 08:10 pm
@izzythepush,
Thank you!
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